Chapter 46: Schwi Heiron

After the astonishingly brief battle between Bella and Louise, the matches continued.

Bella left the arena, and as she passed by, our eyes briefly met. She gave a slight nod of acknowledgment before teleporting away.

As the following matches didn't pique my interest, I decided to leave the arena, making my way out.

The events of the day had already provided plenty of excitement, and there were other things on my mind.

....

I made my way to the infirmary carrying potions to help other injured students out, the infirmary really is busy as I looked at each room being full of students and a bunch of medical staff healing them there were even some students who lost a few limbs.

I guess the battle between the seniors are on a whole other level huh considering most of these students that I saw were a bunch of seniors, probably the only one who had similar injuries to them was Evadne when she fought Tristan.

I finally found the room I was looking for, and as I entered, I couldn't help but notice the hushed and tense atmosphere within. The room was unusually quiet, and it was evident that something had happened.

My gaze fell upon the scene before me: Tristan stood near one corner of the room, appearing somewhat lost. Alex was nearby, scratching the back of his head with uncertainty.

On the bed, I noticed Louise, who was hiding her face behind a pillow, her body language indicating distress and embarrassment.

"Hello," I said, my voice echoing throughout the quiet room. It appeared that both Alex and Tristan hadn't noticed my arrival, lost in their own thoughts, with surprise evident on their faces when they saw me.

"Adrian!" Alex exclaimed.

"Ah, Adrian, are you the one assigned to us?" Tristan asked.

I chuckled, trying to lighten the atmosphere. "Not really. I just came here because I know you guys. Besides, there's no rule that says alchemists can't be biased in choosing who they give their potions to, right?" I joked.

The room seemed to brighten up again, and I decided to ask the two of them what they were doing in the infirmary, considering that Alex had no injuries from his battle and Tristan had already healed himself.

Alex hesitated for a moment, then said, "I got slapped— I mean, after saving the love of my life, she told me that I should leave her be as she was going to rest. With nothing else to do, I came here. Hahaha..." His eyes darted around the corner, avoiding eye contact, as if he was trying to hide something. I couldn't help but notice a reddish tint on his left cheek. What had he done to Aria after saving her?

Tristan, on the other hand, was more straightforward.

"Well, in my case, I just wanted to check on Louise," he explained.

The room remained filled with an underlying tension, the unspoken incident of Louise's quick defeat still hanging in the air.

Have you ever heard of the saying, "the only thing worse than being talked about is not being talked about"? That was exactly the situation we were in right now, and it all revolved around the recent, bizarre events in the arena.

As I watched Louise trying to hide her face with a pillow, her cheeks bright red in embarrassment, I couldn't help but feel a mixture of amusement and sympathy. Tristan, in his usual cheerful manner, attempted to console her.

"Louise, I'm sure you were just caught off guard," he said, offering words of encouragement.

Louise, however, couldn't bear the embarrassment. She let out a muffled scream from behind her pillow and added, "Please stop! I know what happened. You don't need to console me, so... please stop. Let's not talk about it please" she said, her voice trembling.

Despite her plea, I couldn't help but chuckle under my breath at the absurdity of the situation. It was indeed one for the books, and it seemed that Louise would have to endure some teasing from her friends for a while.

.....

I decided to leave my friends and proceeded to assist the medical staff of the academy.

While my initial role was to only distribute my concocted healing potions, I noticed that there weren't enough healers available, so the demand for an alchemist healing potion was skyrocketing right now.

I was relieved that I had prepared an ample supply of healing potions in advance. To help as many people as possible, I chose to sell half of the potions to the school and personally provide the other half free of charge.

Personally, providing the potions proved to be an effective way to help, and I knew it would also contribute to building my reputation among the students and staff.

Now that the joint combat exams are over, I guess that's it for the entire volume 1 of the novel huh, with volume 2 on the horizon, I needed to brace myself for the impending political schemes and intrigues bound to unfold within the academy.

I opened my status details and opened the quest section to confirm something.

Quests: 18! (Active quests) [click for more info]

[click]

1. [Heal 100 innocents'] [Reward: random XP, random stat +3] (completed)

[Reforge the Sword of Destiny] ???

[Unearth Lost Relic] ???

[Eradicate the Plague of Darkness] ???

[Secure the Forbidden Knowledge] ???

[Stop a Celestial Collision] ???

[Restore the sun] ???

[Kill the Demon King] ???

Organizing the quests and missions, I couldn't help but notice some inconsistencies in their order. The goddess's numbering seemed to lack correlation, and it bothered me that the quest to purify the corrupted forest should have come before the beast subjugation in Kaksan.

It was clear that some of these later quests were based on events from Volume 6 and above, and not knowing the context made it challenging to make sense of everything.

I had always tried to avoid getting involved in school politics, but I realized that the protection of the sage, which had happened in Volume 5, was the result of Tristan's involvement in politics.

Reluctantly, I understood that I had no choice but to navigate these political waters as well.

Ignoring the goddess's quests and missions was not a viable option, as I still had the authorities inside me.

If I were to defy her, who knew what kind of backlash I might face? Though I guess she might not go so far as to explode me to pieces, especially given my family's influence, but I couldn't be certain of the consequences.

As I walked down the infirmary halls, I had to navigate through a group of students who parted to make way for someone. Upon closer inspection, I realized it was Elena, the one and only saintess of this world, approaching me.

"Hello, Adrian. Are you also helping out the staff?" she greeted me with a warm smile.

"Yes, Senior Elena," I replied, maintaining a more formal tone. I knew that addressing her intimately in public could lead to unwanted problems.

Elena's eyebrows twitched slightly in response to my formality, but before she could say anything, a priest called out to her. It appeared that one of the patients required urgent assistance with a high-ranking healing spell. After offering me a brief apology, Elena hurried off to help.

The murmurs in the crowd grew louder as they continued to speculate about my connection with Elena.

"Isn't that Adrian Vulter Tellus?"

"Not only is he acquainted with the top rankers of the first-year students, but also with the saintess?"

"They seem close..."

It was clear that my interactions were raising eyebrows and sparking conversations among the students and onlookers. I couldn't help but feel the weight of the attention and curiosity that surrounded me, even as I quietly continued my way to assist in the infirmary.

.....

Exhaling deeply, I expressed my fatigue aloud as I gazed at the setting sun through the immense windows of Lucian Hall, the dormitory for the top students.

The day had been long, filled with the dispensing of potions and listening to the various stories of patients and staff, which had drained my energy. All I wanted at this moment was to sink into my soft and welcoming bed.

As I walked through the hallways, making my way back to my room, I contemplated the events that had unfolded. I still had to plan for the upcoming happenings in Volume 2 of the story, which were right around the corner.

However, my train of thought was interrupted as I noticed someone standing in front of my door. At first, I thought it might be Analise coming to visit, but upon closer inspection, I realized the maid's uniform was different.

I squinted my eyes and approached the maid, trying to discern her identity. Was it someone I knew?

The maid noticed me, and with a polite bow of her head and a lift of her skirt, she greeted me with utmost decorum.

"Good evening, young master Adrian. My name is Sasha Raven, a maid belonging to the ducal Heiron family. My lady wishes for me to deliver this letter to you," she said as she handed me the letter with all the grace befitting her station.

After accepting the letter, we exchanged another respectful nod, and she made her way elsewhere. I sighed as I examined the letter.

It was an invitation to a tea party scheduled for the following day. But I couldn't help but wonder why a tea party? I'm a guy, after all.

My plans for a low-key involvement in the academy's events seemed to be shifting, as one of the key players for Volume 2 was now directly involving me.

"Invite Tristan instead!" I said in frustration